Air cleaner



March 13, 1956 CAR 2,738,177

AIR CLEANER Filed Nov. 23, 1948 IN VEN TOR. PA UL CA RL E MA M AGENT I United States Patent l AIR CLEANER Paul Carle, Coronado, Califl, assignor to Air Purification, Inc., a corporation of California Application November 23, 1948, Serial No. 61,679

2 Claims. (Cl. 261-90) My invention relates to an air cleaner, more particularly for use in removing foreign matter from air and the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a cleaner of this class which operates in a similar manner to a centrifugal blower for the purpose of removing foreign matter from air including, solids of various kinds such as the, products of combustion and various gaseous matter therein.

Second, to provide an air cleaner of this class which is particularly adapted for-use in connection with the control of smog admitted from various smoke stacks of industry and other fuel burning apparatus including such gases as may be admitted from furnace smoke stacks or the like.

Third, to provide an air cleaner of this classin which a particular rotor construction is employed which not only encases draft and circulatory functions but which efliciently emulsifies various solidsand gaseous materials into liquid admitted centrally thereof during the driving of such materials centrifugally by said rotor.

Fourth, to provide an air cleaner of this class having a centrifugal blower rotor provided with a very efficient liquid spinner centrally thereof which is adapted to evenly disperse liquid centrally of said rotor when rotating at high speed for mixing with various foreign matter in the air entering centrally of said rotor during the travel of the air radially and centrifugally through staggered and concentric rings of said rotor.

Fifth, to provide a rotor of this class having spaced, staggered concentric rings which provide a circuitous path of air and gases therethrough over various abrupt, sharp edges substantially on a common plane with each other, whereby very efiicient impingement, emulsification I and separation of various materials from liquids is accomplished.

Sixth, to provide a rotor of this class which is very compact in proportion to its capacity, utility and efliciency.

Seventh, to provide a rotor of this class which operates very efficiently at high speed, and

Eighth, to provide an air cleaner having a rotor which is very simple and economical of construction, efficient in operation and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims; reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon forming a part of this application in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of my air cleaner showing portions broken and in section to amplify the illustration. Figure 2 is a side sectional view taken from the line 22 of Fig. 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the rotor of my air cleaner taken from the line 2,738,177- Patented Mar. 13, 1956 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 44 of Figure 3 and Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the same plane as that shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings showing the liquid spinner and liquid supply pipe centrally of the rotor of my air cleaner.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

The motor 1, pulleys 2 and 3, belt 4, shaft 5, bearing 6, spinner 7, nuts 8 and 9, liquid nozzle 10, plates 11 and 12, rings 13 to 18 inclusive, spacers 19, rivets 20, blower casing 21, and the mist eliminator 22 constitute the principal parts and portions of my air cleaner.

The blower casing 21 is a substantially conventional centrifugal blower casing having an air inlet opening 21a in one side thereof and a tangentile outlet 21b passing through a conventional mist eliminator 22 provided with an outlet 22a. Centrally of this casing 21 is the shaft 5 journaled by the bearing 6 on the bracket 6a connected to the outer side of the casing 21. On the shaft 5 is a pulley 3 engaged by a belt 4 passing over a pulley 2 on the shaft of the motor 1 which rotatably drives the plate 11 fixed to the shaft 5 as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings by means of the nut 8 on the opposite side of the plate 11 from the shoulder 5a of the shaft 5 which abuts the plate 11 surrounding the opening 11a therein through which a reduced portion of the shaft 5 extends. The spinner 7 is a radially corrugated spinner secured on to the shaft 5 by the nut 9 jambed against the nut 8. The plate 11 by means of the rivets 29, spacers l9 and rings 13 to 18 inclusive carries the plate 12 which is provided with a central opening 12a coinciding with the opening 21a in the casing 21. The rings 13 to 18 inclusive are flat, concentric rings staggered relative to each other as shown best in Fig. 4 of the drawings; it being noted that the spacers 19 are substantially equal to the thickness of the rings 13 to 18 inclusive whereby adjacent edges or sides of the flat, staggered rings substantially coincide with each other in a common plane centrally of the rotor and substantially aligning with the spinner 7. The liquid supply tube 10 communicates with the pump 10a extending its inlet to a sump 10b supplied by the drain pipe 22b of the mist eliminator 22.

The requirements for good air cleaning include close contact and complete mixing of the polluted air and cleaning liquid, collision of the polluted air to agitate and separate the particles of pollutant, and deflection which further agitates the polluted air. It has been found that the cleaning liquid, usually water, must be broken into very thin sheets to obtain the maximum efficiency, and that the polluted air must pass through the sheet of liquid at high velocity. In applicants device the liquid tends to form a thin sheet on a common plane between the rings due to capillary action or surface adhesion. In passing radially outwardly from one ring to the next, the liquid thus forms an extremely thin sheet radially bridging the spaces between the rings. The polluted air is centrifugally propelled outwardly and passes between the first ring 13 and the plate 11, thus colliding directly with the leading edge of the next ring 14. The force of the collision causes the air to bounce and separate, while the continued influx of air forces the agitated particles through the sheet of fluid, which removes a portion of the pollutant. The air next strikes the ring 15 and the process is repeated. This repeated agitation and passage of the agitated particles through the liquid sheet at high velocity, has been found to remove the pollutant from the air with considerable efficiency. It has been shown in tests of the device, that particles of pollutant smaller than one micron in size are removed, in comparison to the limit of three or four micron sizes in other types of air cleaners. The extremely small size of the particles separated refers not only to such fine pollutants as lamp black, but even certain undesirable gases which may be in the air. Applicants device requires no auxiliary fan or blower to assist its operation, the high speed of rotation being sufficient to accelerate the air flow to extremely high velocities, with a resulting increase in operational efiiciency.

The operation of my air cleaner is substantially as follows:

When the motor 1 by means of the pulleys 2 and 3, belt 4 and shaft 5 rotates the plates 11 and 12 carrying the rings 13 to 18 inclusive supported by the spacers 19 and the rivet 29, water or other emulsifying liquid is supplied by the pump a through the fluid supply nozzle 1.0 to the spinner 7 which is a corrugated spinner de signed to disperse liquid radially throughout the area covered by the rings 13 to 18 centrally of the rotor composed thereby. During rotation of the rotor composed of the plates 11 and 12 in connected parts, air is forced centrifugally in the casing 21 and enters through the central opening 21a and the opening 12:! in the plate 12. Air then passes centrifugally in a circuitous path radially and intermediate and around the spacers 19 over the fiat rings 13 to 18 inclusive. The air, upon entrance through the opening 12a is mixed with water sprayed by the spinner 7 and the velocity of the air and liquid is increased as it reaches the periphery of the rotor or the outermost ring 18 as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings. Material passing radially and back and forth in the rotor breaks over the sharp edges of the rings 13 to 18 inclusive and is generally very radically treated so that solid objects carried by the air stream are thoroughly impinged and mixed with the liquid whereupon the liquid carrying all of the foreign matter relieved from the air is radially impinged upon the inner side of the casing 21 and thereafter gravitates downwardly into the mist eliminator sump 22 while the fine mist of the remaining liquid and air delivered from the rotor passes through the mist eliminator 22 and the liquid thereof is removed together with the solids and gaseous substances suspended therein, thus my air cleaner generally cleans various gases such as those admitted from smoke stacks of industrial establishments or the smoke stacks of furnaces of various kinds as desired.

Though I have shown and decribed a particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire to include in the scope of my invention, the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a centrifugal rotor-comprising an imperforate rotatable disc, a second rotatable disc spaced therefrom and rigidly connected therewith having a central opening therein, and a plurality of individual, staggered rings concentric with and intermediate said discs and having aligned flat sharp-edged surfaces which are disposed at right angles to the axes of said discs, a liquid inlet centrally of said rings, a spinner for distributing said liquid, a casing surrounding said rotor, a motor for rotating said rotor within said casing, said staggered rings having surfaces substantially on a common plane extending radially between said rings, said spinner being disposed substantially in said plane so that cleaning liquid fed into said opening while the rotor is in motion is moved radially in thin sheet form along said plane under the combined influence of centrifugal force and capillary action, while the air being cleaned by reason of its lesser specific gravity follows a more circuitous path and passes through the sheet of liquid between said staggered rings, whereby cleaning of the air is efiiciently accomplished.

2. In a centrifugal rotor comprising a rotatable disc, a second rotatable disc spaced therefrom and rigidly connected therewith and having a central opening therein, and a plurality of annular, radially spaced, staggered rings, concentric with said discs and intermediate said discs, said staggered rings having air-baffling surfaces parallel to the axis of said discs and having flat sharp edged surface portions on a common plane with each other, so that cleaning liquid fed into said opening while the rotor is in motion is moved radially in thin sheet form along said plane under the combined influence of centrifugal force and capillary action, while the air being cleaned by reason of its lesser specific gravity follows a more circuitous path and passes through the sheet of liquid between said staggered rings, whereby cleaning of the air is efficiently accomplished.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 820,772 Elsenhans May 15, 1906 838,602 Zellweger Dec. 18, 1906 888,092 Kestner May 19, 1908 939,481 Dickson Nov. 9, 1909 1,875,711 Dudley Sept. 6, 1932 2,252,982 Roberts Aug. 19, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 41,235 Sweden Aug. 23, 1916 

